Common Parachute Descent Trainer

The Navy needs a Parachute Descent Procedure trainer that enables air crew to practice and experience parachute descent procedures before they apply these procedures during a real mission. To address this need, IAI and our frequent collaborators from the Parks College Parachute Research Group, propose to investigate a Common Parachute Descent Trainer (CoPDeT). CoPDeT will provide a common infrastructure that provides an affordable immersive environment while enabling air crew from different aircraft to practice with the flight suits and ejections seats that they would use in the field within CoPDeT. In our Phase I work, we will investigate an initial proposed solution. The components investigated include (1) the weight-bearing superstructure, (2) connections to individual air crew descent equipment, (3) video presentation of the environment, (4) sensors that collect data about trainee movement, (5) the degree of immersiveness the environment provides, (6) and a computer integration capability that collects data, controls video presentation based in part on trainee activity, and will be used in later phases to assess performance and provide adaptive feedback.